On This Day / October 5, 1920
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19201005
Reference Date
19201005
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 5th October 1920, the Banbridge siege case reached court martial as Tim Healy KC defended the Monaghans amid testimony of pogrom violence. Edited by historian Dr Eamon Phoenix.
Banbridge Siege Recalled | On This Day – 5th October 1920
AT a general court martial held in Victoria Barracks, Belfast yesterday, Daniel Monaghan, Daniel O’Connell Monaghan and James Patrick Monaghan, all of Banbridge, were charged with offences arising out of the disturbances in that town following the funeral of District-Commissioner Smyth, RIC [shot by the IRA in Cork].
The three were charged with having endangered the life of an officer of his Majesty’s forces and three RIC by the discharge of forearms on July 22 last.
James Monaghan said: ‘As a citizen of the Irish Republic, I do not recognise the court.’ The others pleaded not guilty.
The Prosecutor said the charge arose from the disturbances in Banbridge.
That evening a large crowd collected in the street and moved towards Scarva Street in which the accused lived over a shop.
Suddenly three flashes came from an upstairs window of the accused’s house.
Two persons were wounded and one of them died later.
The first witness said he saw three shots fired from Monaghans’ house.
To Mr T M Healy, KC (defending) – Witness did not hear the crowd singing ‘Dolly’s Brae’.
He did not see any person with revolvers in the crowd … He saw none of the other burnings in Banbridge.
A police witness said there was a crowd of about a thousand people present and Henry’s public house – opposite Monaghans’ – was being wrecked. Those whose houses were burned were Catholics.
Mr Healy, KC – The sole result of all the burnings, lootings and £40,000 worth of Catholic property being ruined, is that three men whose house had been burned had been in custody for three months.
‘If your life was in danger, if you saw an opposition mob which had already been guilty of arson and looting coming towards your house, would you, as a Catholic, fire on them? – I don’t know.
Addressing the court, Mr Healy said it was a trumped-up charge.
It is the primary right of every citizen to defend himself, his wife and family.
If there had been a Protestant in charge of the police he (Mr Healy) did not believe any houses would have been burned.
He would have done his duty and fired on the mob.
But the policeman, who was a Catholic, wanted to show what a terrible person he was against the Sinn Feiners and gain his promotion by revolver cracks.
Later it was announced that for being in possession of arms and ammunition Daniel Monaghan and his son, Daniel were fined and released. James Monaghan will be sentenced later.
[Editor’s note: This remarkable case saw one of the last appearances of the coruscating Tim Healy, barrister and former Nationalist MP, in Belfast.]
On This Day – 5th October 1920
Further Reading:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19201005
Reference Date
19201005
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 5th October 1920, the Banbridge siege case reached court martial as Tim Healy KC defended the Monaghans amid testimony of pogrom violence. Edited by historian Dr Eamon Phoenix.
Banbridge Siege Recalled | On This Day – 5th October 1920
AT a general court martial held in Victoria Barracks, Belfast yesterday, Daniel Monaghan, Daniel O’Connell Monaghan and James Patrick Monaghan, all of Banbridge, were charged with offences arising out of the disturbances in that town following the funeral of District-Commissioner Smyth, RIC [shot by the IRA in Cork].
The three were charged with having endangered the life of an officer of his Majesty’s forces and three RIC by the discharge of forearms on July 22 last.
James Monaghan said: ‘As a citizen of the Irish Republic, I do not recognise the court.’ The others pleaded not guilty.
The Prosecutor said the charge arose from the disturbances in Banbridge.
That evening a large crowd collected in the street and moved towards Scarva Street in which the accused lived over a shop.
Suddenly three flashes came from an upstairs window of the accused’s house.
Two persons were wounded and one of them died later.
The first witness said he saw three shots fired from Monaghans’ house.
To Mr T M Healy, KC (defending) – Witness did not hear the crowd singing ‘Dolly’s Brae’.
He did not see any person with revolvers in the crowd … He saw none of the other burnings in Banbridge.
A police witness said there was a crowd of about a thousand people present and Henry’s public house – opposite Monaghans’ – was being wrecked. Those whose houses were burned were Catholics.
Mr Healy, KC – The sole result of all the burnings, lootings and £40,000 worth of Catholic property being ruined, is that three men whose house had been burned had been in custody for three months.
‘If your life was in danger, if you saw an opposition mob which had already been guilty of arson and looting coming towards your house, would you, as a Catholic, fire on them? – I don’t know.
Addressing the court, Mr Healy said it was a trumped-up charge.
It is the primary right of every citizen to defend himself, his wife and family.
If there had been a Protestant in charge of the police he (Mr Healy) did not believe any houses would have been burned.
He would have done his duty and fired on the mob.
But the policeman, who was a Catholic, wanted to show what a terrible person he was against the Sinn Feiners and gain his promotion by revolver cracks.
Later it was announced that for being in possession of arms and ammunition Daniel Monaghan and his son, Daniel were fined and released. James Monaghan will be sentenced later.
[Editor’s note: This remarkable case saw one of the last appearances of the coruscating Tim Healy, barrister and former Nationalist MP, in Belfast.]
On This Day – 5th October 1920
Further Reading:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19201005
Reference Date
October 5, 2020
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 5th October 1920, the Banbridge siege case reached court martial as Tim Healy KC defended the Monaghans amid testimony of pogrom violence. Edited by historian Dr Eamon Phoenix.
Banbridge Siege Recalled | On This Day – 5th October 1920
AT a general court martial held in Victoria Barracks, Belfast yesterday, Daniel Monaghan, Daniel O’Connell Monaghan and James Patrick Monaghan, all of Banbridge, were charged with offences arising out of the disturbances in that town following the funeral of District-Commissioner Smyth, RIC [shot by the IRA in Cork].
The three were charged with having endangered the life of an officer of his Majesty’s forces and three RIC by the discharge of forearms on July 22 last.
James Monaghan said: ‘As a citizen of the Irish Republic, I do not recognise the court.’ The others pleaded not guilty.
The Prosecutor said the charge arose from the disturbances in Banbridge.
That evening a large crowd collected in the street and moved towards Scarva Street in which the accused lived over a shop.
Suddenly three flashes came from an upstairs window of the accused’s house.
Two persons were wounded and one of them died later.
The first witness said he saw three shots fired from Monaghans’ house.
To Mr T M Healy, KC (defending) – Witness did not hear the crowd singing ‘Dolly’s Brae’.
He did not see any person with revolvers in the crowd … He saw none of the other burnings in Banbridge.
A police witness said there was a crowd of about a thousand people present and Henry’s public house – opposite Monaghans’ – was being wrecked. Those whose houses were burned were Catholics.
Mr Healy, KC – The sole result of all the burnings, lootings and £40,000 worth of Catholic property being ruined, is that three men whose house had been burned had been in custody for three months.
‘If your life was in danger, if you saw an opposition mob which had already been guilty of arson and looting coming towards your house, would you, as a Catholic, fire on them? – I don’t know.
Addressing the court, Mr Healy said it was a trumped-up charge.
It is the primary right of every citizen to defend himself, his wife and family.
If there had been a Protestant in charge of the police he (Mr Healy) did not believe any houses would have been burned.
He would have done his duty and fired on the mob.
But the policeman, who was a Catholic, wanted to show what a terrible person he was against the Sinn Feiners and gain his promotion by revolver cracks.
Later it was announced that for being in possession of arms and ammunition Daniel Monaghan and his son, Daniel were fined and released. James Monaghan will be sentenced later.
[Editor’s note: This remarkable case saw one of the last appearances of the coruscating Tim Healy, barrister and former Nationalist MP, in Belfast.]
On This Day – 5th October 1920
Further Reading:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
On This Day is a daily column in the Irish News looking back either 50 or 100 years. The column was compiled by Dr Éamon Phoenix from the mid 1980s until autumn, 2022. The Foundation is very grateful to the Irish News for giving permission to reproduce Eamon’s columns. Funding gratefully received from Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and the Magill Trust.
* The Foundation has worked hard to recreate Eamon’s distinctive voice through AI. Since this is an emerging technology, occasional imperfections may be audible.